i hope i didn't bore you with the story of my life (rp for <lj site="livejournal.com" user="headofap

[heroslayer]

He'd let her sleep until somewhere nearing nine o'clock the next morning, occupying his own time spent awake thumbing through a book, sure that it was the safest of all of his options. She'd gotten up, surprisingly without complaint, taken a few minutes to get her bearings, then slipped out the door to bring back the breakfast she'd promised him the night before. He wasn't sure why she hadn't asked what he'd wanted, whether she figured they liked the same things or if she'd simply forgotten, but it had amused him just the same.

Returning to the couch, a hint of a smile on his face, he'd pulled his book back into his lap and waited for her to return. And some twenty minutes later she had, carrying two take-out plates full of surprisingly decent pancakes and a half gallon of ice cream -- for the pancakes, of course. They'd moved into the kitchen and she'd pestered him into telling the rest of his life story as they ate.

Now out of words, or at least things he could talk about without having to edit immensely, the sat in silence as they finished up their breakfast. After a moment, though, he couldn't help but suggest, "Your turn."

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[howmanyangels.livejournal.com]

She'd slept soundly that night. So soundly that he probably could have killed her had he desired to do so. Perhaps she had let her guard down a bit too much too soon, but he had been pleasant when he woke her up, and though confused initially, she'd quickly remembered everything that had happened the night before, and the fact that all of that hadn't just been a dream. Breakfast had been promised, and she left quickly, needing a bit of air, and it wasn't until she was half way down the street that she remembered she hadn't even asked what he liked. Pancakes though...they seemed safe.

She'd smiled her way through his history, laughing at bits, and having to bite back apologies for others. Of course they were never her fault, but there were times where it would seem right for her to hug him, something, but she stayed in her spot.

"Oh, but I'm no good at telling stories," she said a laugh, as she pushed her last bit of pancake around in the mess of melted ice cream and syrup on her plate. It gave her something to do with her hands as she tried to avoid the question, but knew that really, it would only be fair if she told hers, now that she'd gotten him to tell his.

"Well...I've always lived in an apartment. At least...I think so. I can't remember all that far back, and Dad doesn't really talk about times before it was just the two of us all that much. I think it hurts. Him. That my Mom left. She did that when I was six, though. So, a bit before you, but then again, with our age difference..." She trailed off for a minute, and then shook her head. No, those were tiny, minor details that weren't all that important.

"Anyway. After Mom left, Dad sort of...became obsessed with having everything be best for me. I got sent to private school, too. An all girls school, too. Enrolled me in dance and piano and all that sort of thing. Wanted me to "find my talent", he put it. You know, wanted me to excel in something, so he pushed me when it came to school work too. Disappointed in Bs and all that." She laughed for a moment, a memory running through her mind, and she used it to take a quick drink of water, too. "I don't think it all really worked out the way he would have liked it, though."

"High school was...high school. I didn't care about sneaking off to see boys and all that, so I didn't really have any friends. Dad seemed pleased with that though, since it meant that I spent all my time focusing on my studies. And then came college. I applied to Stanford, and I got in. And a right before I was supposed to go, Dad had a heart attack and couldn't work." Her gaze went to her plate now, continuing to push the food around. "So, because of that, I couldn't go. Despite the scholarship, but, I had to work to keep up the payments on rent for the apartment and the shop, and then for his medical bills. And even though he's been able to work now for a few years, I haven't had the balls to reapply. I don't want to risk getting rejected, I guess. And...now I'm here with you."

[heroslayer]

He listened in silence, marveling at how things were so damn similar in places and then completely different in others. Her mother had walked out when she was six; his father -- his real father -- had sold him at about that age. Her father had shipped her off to a girl's school; he'd gone to Catholic school. Neither of them had had any real friends in high school. She had gotten the chance to go to college only to have to drop out and work; he had never had the opportunity because his mother just couldn't support them anymore and he'd had to go to work. It was like looking in a fun house mirror -- the basic shape was still there, but everything else got twisted to the point of being just slightly wrong. It was odd, and it left him shaking his head at a loss for words when she finished.

"You're lucky you even got the chance to go," he muttered into the remains of his breakfast. A long pause, and then louder, "How'd you meet Chandra, by the way?" She hadn't covered that much, and he was hoping for another point of true commonality while he tried to wrap his head the rest of the way around their parallel histories.

[howmanyangels.livejournal.com]

"I don't know...I guess? But, I can't help but wonder if I'd be more content if I hadn't at all." Which should be understandable. The chance to go had been dangled in front of her, only to be ripped away. Sort of like the first experience with Chandra, really. That had made it hurt all that much more for her.

"She showed up one day I was covering for Dad. He had to go in and have some tests. She had this watch on, and, since I just...knew it was wrong, I thought that's what she was there for.. She said it wasn't. That she hadn't even realised that there was something wrong with it." She bit her lip, finally setting the fork down. "Truth was that she was there to see me. About...that, really. She gave me a book, and told me to read it, and after I was through it two days later I called her."

[heroslayer]

He nodded, almost relieved that their first meeting had been the same. "That's how it happened for me, too. Then he went through a bunch of tests, trying to figure out what my ability was. He couldn't find anything, told me I was nothing special, and we had a fight that ended with me coming back to the shop and calling Brian Davis. I just -- I needed to know why he was so much more important than me."

[howmanyangels.livejournal.com]

"That's just about how it went along for me too."

She let silence fall between them again, for a minute as she tried to find what else to say. They were up to date on each other now. Their lives were different, yet had elements, and important ones at that, that connected them. It was odd, to say the least.

"What...now?"

[heroslayer]

"Good question." He pushed his fork away, letting it drop into the soup the syrup and ice cream had made, and leaned back in his chair. "You know, I almost wish you weren't me. As interesting as this has been, I haven't touched anyone in months."

And while the hunger was quiet now, he still wanted something new. It was his right, after the hell he'd endured the past few months. He deserved it and there were plenty of people just wandering around the city who didn't deserve what they had.

[howmanyangels.livejournal.com]

He should try it sometime. Albeit perhaps not while she was there with him, at least not without a proper warning first, since him suddenly just shifting to look like her would freak her out quite a bit. It did, however, have its perks, as did being able to cry on command.

Her arms went up around his neck in a surprisingly tight grip, but it was her life at stake here if she somehow managed to still slip out of his grasp, and she wanted to do all she could to avoid that. "Ready."

[heroslayer]

He offered her a smile, the expression equal parts winning and devious somehow, and then he was pushing up off the roof. He took them up high and fast, not wanting to be seen -- there was a fair number of things New Yorkers would dismiss, but he doubted that a flying man was one of them -- and within minutes they were coming back down in an alley somewhere presumably in the vicinity of objective's apartment. He kept his arm around her long enough to make sure she had her feet back under her, and then he was ducking out of her hold.

He'd ask what she'd thought of flying, but he was more interested in the ability that awaited them.

[howmanyangels.livejournal.com]

Flying as thrilling, to say the least, and she would have liked to stay up in the air much longer than they did. He was focused on what lie ahead though, even more than she was, so she figured that she would try to ask for a longer trip when they were finished. Or maybe when night fell.

She wobbled once he let go of her, despite the fact that he'd held on for as long as he had, the first step she took shaky. A wide smile spread across her face however, and she was making her way towards the alley's exit.

"What's the address?"

[heroslayer]

"It's 48 31st Street," he answered, pausing at the end of the alley. He was caught trying to decide whether or not he should shift into Bennet -- or at very least borrow his voice again. He supposed it wasn't necessary, as he could always say he was someone else that Bennet had sent over, but he couldn't seem to decide if it was better safe than sorry or not.

[headofapin.livejournal.com]

"Right then, off we go!" And off she went, a certain amount of bounce in her step as excitement started to bubble up within her. They were doing this. And she was going to get something new. Soon. She wondered however how they were going to do it once they got inside, but figured that it was best to, at least for this time, let him have control of the issue.

She frowned though when she opened her mouth to say something, and noticed that he wasn't next to her; instead he was still at the end of the alley. There was an eye roll before she headed back, easily taking his arm in hers, and tugging lightly at it to pull him along. "Come on, what're you waiting for?"

[headofapin.livejournal.com]

"You sound legitimately insane, you know," was her comment to him as she noticed the gleeful tone in his voice, however, she had let the cat down by then, and was making her way over to him, a bit of an amused smile on her face. "You do know you look like a boy on Christmas morning now, right?"

And the look on her face became more amused at that, almost to the point where she wanted to reach out and ruffle his hair, but she was pretty sure that would get her sent across the room.

"Find it?"

[heroslayer]

Did she miss the memo? He was legitimately insane and enjoying every last minute of it.

He said nothing to this effect, however -- said nothing at all, in fact -- fingers combing through the remains of the woman's head until he found what he was looking for. And when he did, he took a moment to study it before rocking back on his feet with something near a whimper as pain exploded behind his eyes, his brain shifting suddenly and chaotically to make room for yet another new ability. Thankfully, though, the searing pain dulled to a faint ache behind his eyes as it always did after a few seconds, and then he was opening his eyes with a shuddering sigh.

"Yep. And God, that's good." He looked up at her languidly, a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Don't suppose you want to look?"

[headofapin.livejournal.com]

No, she'd missed that memo unfortunately. Lost in the post or something like that. She's sure to receive it soon, though.

"Of course I do." She glowered at him at that before kneeling on the floor, careful to not kneel in any blood as she took the position he had, and tried not to look slightly squeamish at it all. Blood and brains were still blood and brains to her, and not her favourite thing in the world. However, she would deal, and there was a bit of an inhale when she ran her fingers over it.

She, on the other hand, cringed noticeably when she found it, because it hurt. She had more room than him for new abilities, which meant her brain didn't have to shift as much, but it still hurt, and normally would leave her with a throbbing headache that would last for hours - not having the same healing process he did, after all.

"Oh."

[heroslayer]

"Oh," he repeated half-mockingly, as he got unsteadily to his feet. He let her have a few minutes, figuring it was worse for her than it was for him for how infrequently she had done this, and -- well, actually, he was curious about that, now. So he asked, "Is it the same for you? Like someone driving a spike into your eye? Then the headache afterwards?"

The headache that was, for the most part, trumped by the high.

[headofapin.livejournal.com]

She nodded at that, the hand that was clean rubbing at a temple as she took a moment, and then pushed herself off the floor. "I get really, really bad headaches, too."

She made a face, but then opened her eyes to give him a weak smile. "I'm good though. it's...it's a good pain. Eventually."

[howmanyangels.livejournal.com]

"The blood is kind of...bloody. Horrible to get out from under nails once it's dried." And she didn't move either, with him in the way, and not really wanting to move, she was rooted to the spot, staring into his eyes, and then swallowing thickly.

[heroslayer]

"Never bothered me much," he shot back, still watching her. Taking what he wanted had never particularly bothered him either, and that in mind, he darted in to kiss her viciously. There was, of course, the chance that she might throw him into the nearest wall, but at least he could argue that she had started it.

[headofapin.livejournal.com]

"Well you are a man. Soiled fingernails a probably not a big deal to you. I'm..." she started, but was cut off by his lips against hers, and it sent her arms flailing a bit. She was startled by it, caught off guard, but it only took a beat for it to be returned, arching to mold herself against him, with arms going up around his neck, and a hand in his hair.

[heroslayer]

He pulled away after a moment, though he didn't stray far, and resumed watching her, his eyebrows raised. It was though he was daring her to comment on the kiss. And if she didn't, he'd make some smartass comment himself.

[headofapin.livejournal.com]

And she was slightly out of breath when he did pull back, and needed to catch it, her eyes wide as she stared at him. She opened her mouth for a moment, but closed it again as no sound came out, not able to find the right words, or the correct smartass comment to come with, so really, he should take it.

[howmanyangels.livejournal.com]

And she knew that. She could sense that he had more - much more, than the little things he had shown her so far. He'd had years after all, and apparently quite the hunger for collecting new things. It was logical that he would have even more than that. "I can even cook for you if we get groceries."

She paused for a moment. "Really, most nights I just stay in and read...and that makes me sound like the most boring person on the planet."

[heroslayer]

"I'd be doing the same if I had the time," he admitted. Killing people was such a time consuming hobby. "And that's fine. We'll stop at your apartment, and then the supermarket."

[howmanyangels.livejournal.com]

"Well, you are me." She grinned at that, and stole another kiss, before giving him a gentle nudge. "Onward then. To my apartment, so I can have a show."

[heroslayer]

"What's the address?" That was important to know, and since he hadn't asked before ...